(www.soul.org/Ben-Franklin-2.jpg)
Ben Franklin
Glorious Lessons
Danielle Pecorino
History 206
Table of Contents
1. Lesson Plan: Objective and name, “The Many Faces of Ben Franklin”.
A. Diplomat, Statesmen
-Letter from American Revolutions Exhibit in the Quick Arts Center
-Documents he signed during the Revolution
-Declaration of Independence
-Treaty of Alliance with France
-Treaty of Peace with Britain
-Treaty of Amity and Commerce with France
-Constitution of the United States of America
B. Inventor
-Bifocals
-Lighting Rod
C. Philosopher
- The Pennsylvania Gazette
-“Poor Richards Almanack”
- Autobiography
D. Timeline of his life
F. Fun Facts
G. Famous quotes from Franklin
2. Ideas for Lesson Plan
3. New York State standards
4. Work cited
1. Lesson Plan: “The Many Faces of Benjamin Franklin”
(learning.usd383.org/tlcf/tlcf2000/webquest/tina/franklin2.gif)
Objective: To provide the students with the many professions of
Ben Franklin which will portray Ben Franklin’s importance and
relevance in today’s world.
My Glorious Lessons project was based on the letter displayed in the Quick
Arts Center, the letter was written to Henry Home by Benjamin Franklin.
This letter was the earliest documentation by a patriot predicting the
American Revolution. (Glorious Lessons Checklist)
(www.bensguide.gpo.gov/benfranklin/statesman.html
Ben Franklin- Statesmen & Diplomat
-Ben Franklin signed many important documents during and after the American
Revolution. Some of these documents are the basis of our government.
-During the fight for independence, Ben Franklin was sent to Europe to represent
the colonies. In 1776, I signed the Declaration of Independence and, in 1778, the
Treaty of Alliance with France.
(www.bensguide.gpo.gov/benfranklin/statesman.html)
- In addition, Ben Franklin negotiated with the French to help the colonists and
became the first United States minister to France. When the colonists won their
independence in 1781, I helped negotiate the peace with England and signed what
ultimately became known as Treaty of Peace with Great Britain (1782).
(www.bensguide.gpo.gov/benfranklin/statesman.html)
-Upon signing the Constitution on September 17, 1787, Ben Franklin became the
only Founding Father to have signed all five documents that established American
independence: the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Amity and Commerce
with France, the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Treaty of Peace with Great
Britain, and the Constitution of the United States of America.
(www.bensguide.gpo.gov/benfranklin/statesman.html)
(www.bensguide.gpo.gov/benfranklin/statesman.html
Ben Franklin- Inventor
Not only did Benjamin Franklin represent our country he invented many things
that we still rely on today.
(http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/inventor/images/bifocals.jpj)
-Ben had poor vision and needed glasses to read. He got tired of constantly taking
them off and putting them back on, so he decided to figure out a way to make his
glasses let him see both near and far. He had two pairs of spectacles cut in half and
put half of each lens in a single frame. Today, we call them bifocals.
(http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/inventor/inventor.html)
(http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/inventor/images/rod.jpg)
-Everyone knows the story of Ben's famous kite flight. Although he made important
discoveries and advancements, Ben did not "invent" electricity. He did, however,
invent the lightening rod which protected buildings and ships from lightning
damage. ((http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/inventor/inventor.html).
(www.bensguide.gpo.gov/benfranklin/statesman.html
Ben Franklin –Philosopher
Ben Franklin amongst being an Statesman, Diplomat and inventor he also wrote.
-In 1729, Benjamin Franklin bought a newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette.
Franklin not only printed the paper, but often contributed pieces to the paper under
aliases. His newspaper soon became the most successful in the colonies. This
newspaper, among other firsts, would print the first political cartoon, authored by
Ben himself. (http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/facts)
-In 1733 he started publishing Poor Richard's Almanack. Almanacs
of the era were printed annually, and contained things like weather
reports, recipes, predictions and homilies. Franklin published his
almanac under the guise of a man named Richard Saunders, a poor
man who needed money to take care of his carping wife. What distinguished
Franklin's almanac were his witty aphorisms and lively writing. Many of the famous
phrases associated with Franklin, such as, "A penny saved is a penny earned" come
from Poor Richard. (http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/facts)
- A year after Benjamin Franklin's death his
autobiography entitled "Memoires De La Vie Privee...," was published in
Paris in March of 1791. The first English translation, "The Private Life of the
Late Benjamin Franklin, LL.D....Originally Written By Himself, And Now
Translated From The French," was published in London in 1793.
-Known today as "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin," this classic
piece of Americana was originally written for Franklin's son William, then
the Governor of New Jersey. The work portrays a fascinating picture of life
in Philadelphia, as well as shrewd observations on the literature, philosophy
and religion of the time. Franklin wrote the first five chapters of his
autobiography in England in 1771, resumed again thirteen years later
(1784-85) in Paris and later in 1788 when he returned to the United States.
Franklin ends the account of his life in 1757 when he was 51 years old.
(http://earlyamerica.com/lives/franklin/)
Timeline of Benjamin Franklin’s Life
(http://bensguide.gpo.gov/benfranklin/txt _timeline.html)
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1706 -- Born in Boston, Massachusetts.
1718 -- Apprentice with brother James in printing shop.
1728 -- Opens printing office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1729 -- Becomes sole owner and publisher of Pennsylvania Gazette.
1731 -- Founds first public library.
1748 -- Retires from printing.
1752 -- Kite experiment.
1757 -- Goes to England as colonial representative.
1776 -- Signs Declaration of Independence.
1778 -- Negotiates Treaty of Alliance with France.
1782 -- Negotiates Treaty of Peace with Great Britain.
1787 -- Signs the Consitution of the United States.
1790 -- Dies in Philadelphia.
Famous quotes from Benjamin Franklin
(http://library.thinkquest.org/22254/frquot.htm)
“Be in general virtuous, and you will be happy.”
--Essays. On Early Marriages.
“Never contradict anybody.”
--Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Jefferson
“Remember, that time is money.”
--Advice to young tradesman, 1748
“The great secret of succeeding in conversation is to admire little, to hear much;
always to distrust our own reason, and sometimes that of our friends; never pretend
to wit, but to make that of others appear as much as possibly we can; to hearken to
what is said and to answer to the purpose”.
--taken from Franklins Complete Works, Volume I, “Miscellaneous Observations”
(1728)
“You and I were long friends: you are now my enemy, and I am yours.”
--Letter to William Strahan, July 5, 1775.
“There was never a good war nor a bad peace.”
--Excerpt from a letter to Sir Joseph Banks dated July 27, 1783
Fun Facts about Ben Franklin
(http://library.thinkquest.org/22254/frintfac.htm)
* During Benjamin’s childhood, he could remember a time when there were
thirteen siblings at the dinner table. In fact, the difference in years between Josiah
Franklin’s eldest and youngest children was an entire generation.
*When Benjamin was sixteen, he experimented with vegetarianism in order to save
money to buy more books.
*Inspired by his namesake uncle Benjamin, young Benjamin composed historical
ballads (one about the pirate Blackbeard) that were printed by his brother James in
his fledgling print shop. The poems sold well.
*When Benjamin first arrived in Philadelphia, he had nothing but a Dutch shilling
and three cents to his name. In many respects, he had severed his ties with his
family back in Boston.
*At the age of 70, Benjamin Franklin was the oldest delegate to sign the Declaration
of Independence on July 2 1776.
2. Ideas for a Lesson Plan (grades 6-8)
Weblinks:
1. http://www.discoveryschool.com
2. http://learning.usd383.org/tlcf2000/webquest/tina/webquest.htm
3. New York State Standards
1. http://www.edusolution.com
2. http://regentsprep.org
Work Cited
Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government for Kid’s, December 1, 1999, “Ben Franklin-Timeline”,
{On-line}, http://bensguide.gpo.gov/benfranklin/txt _timeline.html, October 20, 2004.
Ben’s Guide to U.S Government for Kid’s, March 9, 2000, “Benjamin FranklinStatesmen”, {On-line}, www.bensguide.gpo.gov/benfranklin/statesman.html,
October, 20, 2004
The Franklin Institute Online, {On-Line},
http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/inventor/inventor.html, October 20, 2004
The Franklin Public Library, “Interesting Facts”, {On-Line},
http://library.thinkquest.org/22254/frintfac.htm, October 20, 2004
The Franklin Public Library, “Referential Quotes”, {On-Line},
http://library.thinkquest.org/22254/frquot.htm, October, 20, 2004
Archiving Early America, “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin”, {On-Line}
http://earlyamerica.com/lives/franklin/, October 20, 2004
The Electric Franklin, “A Quick Biography of Benjamin Franklin”, {On-Line}
http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/facts, October, 20, 2004